Chair



Jan. '9, 1934. v. LElBO 1,943,081

CHAIR Filed Aug. 10, 1933 TOR. V/croe [5/50 ATTOENEY Patented Jan. 9, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE This invention relates to chairs, and particularly to what are known as high chairs and more particularly to the construction oi the trays oi chairs of this type; and the object oi the invention is to provide means ior mounting a tray so as to permit forward and backward sliding movement of the tray with respect to the chair and a pivotal or swinging movement oi the tray to facilitate the placement oi a child on the chair and the removal of a child therefrom; a iurther object being to provide a tray mounting of the class described which consists in providing the arms oi the chair with guide railsand the tray with rods slidably engaging the rail with means ior pivotally coupling the tray to the free ends of the rods; a further object being to provide means for limiting the swinging movement of the tray with respect to the rods; a further object being to provide latch devices for securing the tray in normal or closed position; a still iurther object being to provide, in conjunction with the tray, a retaining strap detachably coupled with the seat oi the chair to prevent a child irom slipping oi! the chair between the seat and tray; and with these and other objects in view, the invention consists in a device oi the class and ior the purpose specified, which is simple in construction, eiilcient in use, and which is constructed as hereinaiter described and claimed.

The invention is iully disclosed in the following specification, oi which the accompanying drawing iorms a part, in which the separate parts oi my improvement are designated by suitable reierence characters in each oi the views, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a transverse sectional view through a chair made according to my invention and indieating the tray in closed and open positions.

Fig. 2 is a partial, sectional view on the line 22 oi Pig. 1, showing parts of the construction broken away.

Fig. 8 is a sectional detail view similar to Fig. 1: with parts of the construction broken away and in section.

Pig. 4 is a partial section on the line 4-4 oi Fig. 3; and,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, sectional detail view similar to Fig. 2 on an enlarged scale, showing only a part oi the construction and showing a modiilcation For the purpose oi illustrating one method oi carrying my invention into eiiect, I have illustrated in Pig. 1 oi the drawing an iniant's high chair consisting oi a seat 10, diverging legs 11,

joined by suitable bracing cross rods 12. At 18.

I have indicated a foot rail or treadle, at it a c and at 15 the side arms oi the chair coupled with the backrest and braced on the seat by members 16 and iront rods 17.

At 18, I have shown a tray which is of more or less conventional tom and includes upwardly extending peripheral walls 18a, the purpose of which is to prevent displacement oi articles from the tray. In the construction shown, I secure to the inner opposed surfaces oi the arms 15 guide channels or tracks 19 in which are slidably mounted upper supporting bars or rods 20. The rods 20 are provided with elongated apertures 21 in which two screws, bolts, pins or the like 22 and 23 operate, the latter also serving to sup- 7 port the channels 19 in connection with the arms 15, and another screw 24 is employed at the inner ends oi the channels for the same purpose, the latter also iorming stops to limit the inward movement of the rods 20 in said channels so as to position angle iron latch plates 25 carried by and movable with the tray 18 in alinement with spring latch devices 26 supported on the under surface oi the arms 15 so that said latch devices can enter apertures 25a in the latch plates 25 to retain the tray against movement with respect to the arms. Brackets 27 are secured to the lower surface oi the tray 18 and are pivoted to the iorward or outer ends oi the rods 20 and detachably coupled therewith by 86 screws or bolts 28 having winged nuts 29. The iree ends of the rods 20 also include oflset stop members 200 which cooperate with the brackets 2'! to limit the movement oi the tray 18 to the position indicated in dotted lines in 90 Fig. 1 oi the drawings: as to provide clear and unobstructed ioot room in the operation or placing a child in the chair and removing the child therefrom.

The purpose of providing the detachable pivots Q5 28 is to.iacilitate the detachment oi the tray from the chair principally -in the packing or shipment thereoi as well as to iacilitate washing or cleaning of the tray whenever desired, and still further, to permit the use of the chair without the tray as a child gets older and is capable oi eating directly irom a table.

Ialsosecuretotherearendportionoithe tray centrally thereof a retaining strap 30, the inee end of which is detachably coupled with a suitable coupling device 31 on the lower suriace oi the seat 10 centrally oi the forward edge thereoi as is indicated in Fig. 1 oi the drawing.

In Fig. 5 of the drawing, I have shown a want modification wherein I have substituted for the latch plates 25 on the tray, latch devices 32 similar to the latch devices 26, and these devices are secured to the lower surface of a tray 33 similar to the tray 18, and are adapted to enter apertures 34 formed in channel guide rails 35, otherwise similar in all respects to the rails 19 and in which tray supporting rods 36 similar to the rods 20 are slidably mounted. It

- will also be noted that the latch devices 32 en- 10- ter the elongated slots or apertures 37 in the rods 36 and similar to the apertures 21. The spring latch devices 26 and 32 are provided with knobs or finger pieces 26a, 32a, respectively, by means of which the same may be operated by hand to release the tray from its latched position, as will be apparent.

With the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, and assuming the tray to be in the extended position indicated in dot and dash lines in Fig. 1 of the drawing, after a child has been placed in the chair, the tray is first moved inwardly by sliding the rods 20 in the channel until the free ends oi said rods strike the stop pins or screws 24, after which the free end of the tray is swung downwardly to move the latch devices 26 into engagement with the apertures 25!: of the latch plates 25, and the strap 30 is then secured in position.

In removing the child from the chair, the strap 30 is first released, after which the latch devices are moved into inoperative position by engaging the knobs 26c and forcing the latch devices outwardly against the tension of their springs. The inner end of the tray is then released by swinging the tray on its pivots 28, after which the tray is moved outwardly, it being understood that the screws, pins or other devices 23 also act as stops to limit the outward swinging movement of the tray or the outward movement of the rods 20, and these pins '23 in conjunction with the pins 22 also serve to brace the rods as well as the tray in their mounting in connection with the arms, that is to 88min addition to the channel guides and supports 19.

With the construction shown in Fig. 5 of the drawing the above method of operation can be performed, the only difference being that the latch devices are supported on and movable with the tray. It will be apparent, however, that with this method of latching, the tray may be swung into horizontal position any time that the latch devices 32 are in a posiiton to engage the channels 35, and then the tray may be slid inwardly until such time as said latch devices will extend outwardly into the apertures 34, it being understood that these apertures are preferably disposed at one point to provide the latching of the tray in a desired position. It will'be apparent, however, that by employing a number of apertures 34, spaced longitudinally of each rail 35, the tray may be latched in different positions of adjustment.

It will be understood that my invention is not necessarily limited to the specific arrangement of the hardware parts employed for slidably and pivotally supporting the tray in connection with the chair, nor to the specific structure of said parts as herein disclosed, and various other changes in and modifications of the invention herein set forth may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit oi. my invention or sacrificing its advantages.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure byllett'ers Patent, is:

1. In a chair, a tray, means for slidably connecting the tray with the chair to move in a plane substantiallv'paralleling the seat of the chair, and means included in the forward portion of said first named means for pivotally connecting the tray, whereby the tray may be moved into substantially vertical and advanced position.

2. In a chair, a tray, means for slidably connecting the tray with the chair to move in a plane substantially paralleling the seat of the chain'means included in the forward portion of said first named means for pivotally connecting the tray, whereby the tray may be moved into.

substantially vertical and advanced position, the means involving the pivot of the tray being detachable, and means limiting inward and outward sliding movement of said tray with respect to the chair.

3. In a chair, a tray, means for slidably connecting the tray with the chair to move in a plane substantially paralleling the seat of the chair, means included in the forward portion of said first named means for pivotally connecting the tray, whereby the tray may be moved into substantially vertical and advanced position, said first named means comprising guide channels and rods slidably engaging said channels, .one mounted on the chair and the other on the tray, and means on the rods and at the end portions of the channels for limiting the sliding movement of the rods in both directions'with respect to the channels.

4. In a chair, a tray, means for slidably connecting the tray with the chair to move in a plane substantially paralleling the seat of the chair, means included in the forward portion of said first named means for pivotally connecting the tray, whereby the tray may be moved into substantially vertical and advanced position, and means for automatically latching the tray to the chair in one position thereof.

5. In a chair having arms, the combination with the arms of the chair of a tray, the tray and arms being provided one with elongated channels and the other with members slidably engaging the channels which provide inward and outward sliding movement of the tray with respect to said arms, and means for pivotally mounting the tray in connection with the outer end portion of one of said members to permit swinging movement of the tray into substantially vertical position when the tray is advanced with respect to the arms of the chair.

6. In a chair having arms, the combination with the arms of the chair of a tray, the tray and arms being provided one with elongated channels and the other with members slidably engaging the channels which provide inward and outward sliding movement of the tray with respect to said arms, means for pivotally mounting the tray in connection with the outer end portion of one of said members to permit swinging movement of the tray into substantially vertic a1 position when the tray is advanced with respect to the arms of the chair, and means for limiting the swinging movement of said tray.

7. In a chair having arms, the combination with the arms of the chair of a tray, the'tray and arms being provided one with elongated channels and the other with members slidably engaging the channels which provide inward and outward sliding movement of the tray with readapted to extend beyond the forward ends oi said arms, means for limiting the sliding move= ment of the rods in both directions in said chainneis, a tray, and means for pivotally connecting the tray with the forward portion of said rods to provide swinging movement of the tray with respect to said rods when said rods are in extended position.

VICTOR mo. 

